Letters to the editor

My Dear Maharaja!

Hare Krishna! Pranams! Namaste! This is Gaurav Mittal. I hope you remember me. It has been almost 9 years since I had last conversation with you. I read your blog quite regularly.

HpS - Honestly I think about you pretty often!! How's the wife and family? How is your self relization.

Suppose we see object like table outside. Is there really table outside as we see it? When light hits the retina, special cells called photoreceptors turn the light into electrical signals.

ASA - Rods and cones. We studied psychology, perception in the university. We think that we have a smart ass!

These electrical signals travel from the retina through the optic nerve to the brain. Then the brain turns the signals into the images we see.

HpS - Oooop! WIthout the Paramatma, Atma, and Mind (Which uses the brain, no?) they would not be 'turned', no?

Object outside is interpretation of those electrical signals in one specific way. Can there be another way to interpret those electrical signals?

ASA - Sure!!! Look up optical illusions on the internet and you'll see how we see things differently again and again based upon the senses, the mind, the intelligence, the soul....

Can those electrical signal convey true reality? Where does object truly exist? It only exists inside in mind in form of image, perceptions and sensations projected onto mind. If we look deeply, we will find that independent existence of object outside is just a belief. Object independently existing outside is convenient, consistent and practical belief.

ASA - Social convention, toys maintained by the SUpersould for the noisy children.

In terms of reality, we can be sure of only one thing. That awareness or consciousness in which object appears exists.

ASA - Rene Descartes: Cogito ergo sum, no?

That awareness / consciousness is our real unchanging Self. Unfortunately, we identify unchanging self with objects due to illusion of maya. True Self (ATMA) is eternal, seer, witness, without any change, beyond time and space. Time and space are mental constructs and ATMA is beyond these mental constructs.

ASA - This is Brahman realization, no? Then Paramatma, I can realize that I have relation with a Super-self, Paramatma, Collective sub-conscious.... intuition, insight.

Bhagavatam describes this mental filtering of true reality as illusion. Few verses which describe it:

SB 11/7/7: My dear Uddhava, the material universe that you perceive through your mind, speech, eyes, ears and other senses is an illusory creation that one imagines to be real due to the influence of māyā. In fact, you should know that all of the objects of the material senses are temporary.

SB 11/23/49: Persons who identify with this body, which is simply the product of the material mind, are blinded in their intelligence, thinking in terms of “I” and “mine.” Because of their illusion of “this is I, but that is someone else,” they wander in endless darkness.

Different experiences like pain, pleasures etc are in the mind and I am totally distinct from mind. They don't even touch me. This is beautifully described in Bhagavatam.

SB 11/23/56: The false ego gives shape to illusory material existence and thus experiences material happiness and distress. The spirit soul, however, is transcendental to material nature; he can never actually be affected by material happiness and distress in any place, under any circumstance or by the agency of any person. A person who understands this has nothing whatsoever to fear from the material creation.

Upadhi means to appropriate some other quality as oneself. There is awareness and there are objects which awareness (atma) is aware of. There is seer (Atma) and seen (objects). I (the seer) has appropriated objects (not self) as self. Rupa Gosvami says - sarvo upadhi vinirmukta - devotional service starts by not appropriating these upadhi - which means to rest in ATMA and not accept body and mind as belonging to self (mine) or as self (me).

The chapter SB 12/5 is final instruction of Sukadeva Gosvami and chapter is also titled - "Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s Final Instructions to Mahārāja Parīkṣit".

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/12/5/

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/11/23/

I wanted to find out your understanding on Bhagavatam 12/5 and Uddhava Gita especially chapter Bhagavatam 11/23. I hope you can share your understanding.

Thank you very much.

Dandavat Pranams,

Gaurav Mittal

HpS - Thank you!!! We kind of gave our idea above and discussing a whole chapter, SB 12.5, here would be hard, but after considering our comments, maybe there is some subsequent ideas, verse, from the Uddhava Gita!!!

Dear Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you and Srila Prabhupada!

I pray this email finds you in good health.

HpS - ASA -- Ha! Ha! Hare! When ever we hear that we always remember hearing that Srila Prabhupada said that this body does not get diseases, this body is a disease. Our eyes hurt, our breathing is little tough, we've lost two teeth (maybe we can find them later), we want a different posture, our mind is going ... but ... we have your association!!!!!!

Maharaj, my name is Satya-sara das. I used to live in Seattle and serve Sri Sri Radha Nila Madhava temple. HG Pandavavijay Prabhu introduced me to you in Seattle almost 13 years ago and I attended many of your classes and got an opportunity to serve your holiness personally one time. Few years ago my wife and I have moved to Austin and by the causeless mercy of Vaishnvas, we are able to preach in Austin and we are seeing Srila Prabhupada’s loving reciprocation – we have approximately 100 people attending our programs regularly, we have preaching program in UT Austin, where 20 western students are attending our mantra meditation and BG class on a weekly basis. We also distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books every week.

HpS/ASA - Super man and Lois Lane!!!! Amazing!! AgtSP and Lord Nityananda and your efforts.

By Srila Prabhupada’s and Vaishnava’s mercy, under the guidance of Nityananda Prabhu, our GBC, we founded a preaching center 14 months ago where we all congregate regularly to hold temple programs including Sunday love feast.

We came to know from HG Rasikendra Prabhu that you will be able to give classes online and shower your mercy on us. We expressed our intense desire to have your holy association for our congregation members in Austin. Hence Prabhu connected me to you in the email.

Maharaj, I am holding a straw in my mouth and very humbly praying to you to give your holy association to us. Your divine association will give boost to our congregation to go further in our Krishna consciousness.

Could you please consider our request and shower your mercy on us, Maharaj?

Thank you very much for considering our request.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

 Your servant,

Satya-sara das

. . . 1348 (cell phone)

HpS - We also respond with a straw in our mouth... Foto attached. I seems like a great opportunity. We have a disciple, Ajaya-govinda Das somewhere near Austin. He is university professor, Indian, married. When would be the class? Are the audience brain surgeons, train engineers, CIA agents, Hare Krsna's??? What should we discuss? Internet? Can we invite others from ASA??? Thank you!!

Hare Krishna Dear Gurumaharaja,

P

A

M

H

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You can write without spaces between paragraphs now.

Sorry for delay. We are planning to move to new house in half December, so I am not much on computers.

Test1

Test2

Test3 - empty line after this

Test 4

In like 2 week ago you mentioned using special category in different ways. Can I call or write to you on Whatsapp to speak about your desires around blog. If yes, what time in what timezone is good for you?

Your servant Prahlad Nrsimha das

HpS - Oh! Such a little change, but so, so nice for our ASCI Art!!! We are in Houston time. We still haven't bought Audi, but we are trying to keep Mercedes running!

Tomorrow, Sunday, we have call with Harsh, and maybe Vaisesika Das, and.... it is purr knee ma, so we will publish the Kapi Dhvaja, or as Monkey says, sometimes, "Stand back fools, unless you want to die, the 'Kapi Dhvaja' is about to fly". Raktaka Das really liked that. He read it to all the Sanga in Trans-yamuna.

We hope to see him again soon.

Maybe he is an ISKCON buffalo in a rich ISKCON devotees house in Punjab.

So ... Monday? We are free after 9AM (Nashville time). When is good for you!!?

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Jay Sita-Ram, Laksman, Hanuman

Please accept my safe obeisances dear guruji

Thank you very much for reading my words

We are in good health, still saved from the virus

Together with manjulali DD we have been distributing prasadam door to door since March due to Covid. (maybe that's why ISKCON doesn't want us in their ranks)

Since March, neither the previous nor the current administration has communicated with us to find out if we are fired or not allowed to continue serving the restaurant.

HpS - ASA -- ! 😮 !

We still cannot legally formalize our relationship. because of the difficult hours for marriage here in the country.

HpS - Krsna knows your committment.

Sad days and hopeful days, without doing service to the deities in the temple, but all our sacrifice is for you and Krishna.

HpS - All we can do is to try to pass it on to Krsna. He is certainly a good general who does not wast the efforts of any soldiers.

We still want to be good devotees ☺️

The music, preparing a second recording, a meera Bhai bhajan (instrumental with video).

HpS - Yadunandana Swami organized a colloquia with one Professor friend for the students while we were teaching in Radha desa, Belgium He was pretty good expert, maybe 55 years. He said that many more Bhajans were written by Mira bhai after se died than when she was alive. Ha! Ha! People used her name. As we know, Srila Prabhupada liked her, but little hard to present her rigidly yet as entertainment and to reach certain people seems O.K.

Studying carnatic (southern Indian) music on the mandolin, an instrument designed in Chennai to play Indian music.

Waiting I still considered myself his student

At your safe service

Lalita Madhava Das 

HpS - So very nice to hear from you! I have to quote from Bhima after he killed Dhusasana, ripped open his chest and 'drank his blood' and then them covered his corpse with a cloth with Draupadi and said, "Farewell cousin, we were not born to be happy!".

Yet we can be happy under the shelter of Krsna if we realize the purpose of this world!

More News!! Kapi Dhvaja SUnday.

Pamho, agtsp.

Dear Guru Maharaj,

I am disciple of HH Bhakti charu Guru maharaj.

I needed to take enough guidance as a part of my spiritual life. So thought to write this letter.

Maharaj fear has been a integral part of my life. So internally I am not progressing or may be I am little puzzled. From childhood still today, I have been survived our of abuse, threat and surrounding taught me many lesson.

In 2015 year we took some hurried decision that for we are repenting now. How I would tolerate and convince my mind to tolerate? We purchased a flat for thinking that we can have our material shelter to protect my wife, who is from a Vaishnav background. My parents threatened her. We were not allowed to go home without paying and expending a lot for a party. Worst was they thought to give us in police custody. I could not tolerate and took that decision to purchase a housing in loan EMI. We have tolerated each single day pain for achieving this. But we could not stay here due to my transferable job.

We are requesting our brother to stay freely and take care, he is not agreed, though he is wasting parents and my earning money staying in Bhubaneswar rented house with friends. Due to not staying there in flat, it is being infected by termites and many problems. We are hopeless how we can compensate if not how we can convince ourself to tolerate.

Each time this representation is killing me.

Plz suggest something for my affirmation, which I can carry forward to obey.

Yours servant,

Diptamurti Das

HpS - Hare Krsna! Very nice to meet you Diptamurti Das. I am not giving suggestion that I have not tried again and again in very painful situations!!! Risked my lie following this solution. Of course it is declaration of Sastra also: Chant Hare Krsna, and Krsns will give you intelligence how to deal with the world. He did not give Arjuna and special weapons. He gave him transcendental intelligence.

Yes, Abhimanyu had to die early in the battle, but there was a reason behind it. Especially if you are approaching Srila Prabhupada, Bh. Caru Swami et al, then you have some sincere consciousness and you should know that Krsna is watching you and as things happen look to them as arrangement by Krsna for you. If He wants you to leave this body like M. Pariksit, then it is time to go and He will protect you.

For any detailed advice you have to talk with people who know you and your situation in detail.

Thank you.

See you soon.

Hare Krsna!

AGTSP. paoho. We are doing pretty well, making advancement in controlling our senses..but Brother Ass, our body, has had very elevated, Pitta, fire, in the body for maybe two weeks now.

It was so bad that we could see that were a prime candidate for throat cancer, and really may have done lasting damage.

We tried different things, even heavy fasting, and that brought it down under control pretty much.

Then we lost control of our Donkey when he was confronted with apple pies and pasta on Thanksgiving day and it raged back up out of control again.

So, we are going into fasting until Sunday and taking Ayur vedic suggestion of doing mandatory menu of hot fennel tea six times a day as a basis and maybe expanding that with some potato/carrot soup in the afternoon.

     It seems that this is marking a change in our body and from here on in we are going to have to be very strict.